Question on how scales work in AutoCAD

[MitchD033]

I have a model of 1"=40' and paper space layout of 1'=40". When I want to plot this on a pdf the scale of 1"=40' is very small while 1'=1" is the correct size of the drawing. Why is this? Do I not understand how the scale works.

[ReMark]

Ah.... because you are printing it from Paper Space and thus the scale is 1:1.  If you were printing it from model space then you would set a scale of 1" = 480.

Edited July 23, 2022 by ReMark

[BIGAL]

You should set your layout title to be true size ie 1:1 in say inches I am metric.

 

Then you would create a model view MV, the next step is to zoom around your object and then set the scale to 1"= 40' you may need to pan a little to get it look right, then go back to pspace and click on viewport and set to locked so you dont accidently zoom and change scale. 

 

There is some good tutorials around regarding creating layouts. Search here as a start.

 

Turn on the Viewport toobar helps finding scales. Metric using toolbar is a dream as its simple numbers for scale can change the indicated scale value directly. 480 may work as a scale number Remark ?

 

Edited July 24, 2022 by BIGAL

[ReMark]

If you are printing directly from model space (i.e. - not using a Paper Space Layout) and you want the drawing scaled to 1"=40' then yes, the scale factor would be 1=480 (12x40).  If you wanted to plot the same drawing at a scale of 1"=50' then the scale factor would be 1=600 (12x50).  And if you wanted to print the same drawing at a scale of 1"=20' the scale factor would be 1=240 (12x20).  But why bother when you can use a paper space Layout and print the drawing at a scale of 1:1?  However, as BIGAL points out one would first need to create a paper space viewport and assign it the appropriate scale.  

[CyberAngel]

What may be confusing is that the viewport is doing the scaling for you. In effect, what you see in paper space is what you will see on the printed plan. In model space, the objects are actual size, but in paper space they are shown at scale.

[danellis]

Thinking of it like this might help:

When you're in modelspace, you're drawing your building/phone/fuirniture/boat/road/whatever-it-is so you should draw in full size in units to that (millimeters, inches, meters, feet, miles, whatever's appropriate/conventional).

 

When you're in paperspace, you're drawing the sheet of paper that you're going to print, so you should work in units appropriate to that (millimeters, inches, or fractions of inches, probably).

When you're adding a viewport, you're adding a representation of your subject at a specific scale.

 

HTH

dJE